Lysander Town Board: Every minute counts

The Lysander Town Board voted down a resolution to approve the April 28 meeting minutes after a contentious debate between board members and the town clerk during its May 19 meeting. Councilor Robert Geraci addressed concerns over unapproved meeting minutes after that specific action on the agenda was skipped.

“I think it needs to be stated that you’re not approving the minutes,” said Geraci, who informed the audience that board members had a brief, yet heated conversation about the protocol of minutes during its work session.

Supervisor John Salisbury said the problem concerning unapproved minutes began last fall when members of the board felt that parts in the minutes did not reflect what actually happened during the meeting. Salisbury then added that the town clerk, Lisa Dell, had said she would not make any adjustments to the meeting minutes, to which Dell denied that night.

Consequently, Salisbury said board members agreed to get back to Dell with their comments within five days of receipt, and Councilor Melinda Shimer has since been taking the electronic recordings that the town clerk processes to compare results.

In the meantime, the draft form of meeting minutes get posted on the town website.

Dell, who said there are minutes still unapproved since 2012, said she has asked the supervisor for specific examples of where in the minutes she has been incorrect, but has only received general feedback.

“If you would have shown me a specific example of what was wrong, I would be more than happy to make those adjustments,” Dell said.

Councilor Andy Reeves said all the board is trying to do is correct misspellings or inaccuracies in order to put out a quality package.

“In support of our town clerk, she was just reelected to another four-year term. The community trusts her. I believe this board should trust her to make an informed decision and do her job,” said Diamond, who made the motion to approve the April 28 minutes.